Hurricane News

When legislative budget chiefs agreed during negotiations to spend $1.5 million on a study about extending a toll road north to Georgia, they started to lock into Florida’s new budget some of the 78 recommendations a House select committee created in the wake of last year’s deadly hurricane season....

Florida Power & Light acknowledged Tuesday it needs to do a better job communicating with the public and with local governments after major storms and hurricanes, particularly in estimating when power will be restored. An FPL vice president met Tuesday with Fort Lauderdale commissioners, recapping...

After three months, South Florida is just about finished cleaning up the mess Hurricane Irma left. Cities are making the final passes through neighborhoods, picking up the last piles of debris from the storm that struck South Florida on Sept. 10. Fears abounded shortly after Irma hit that debris...

Florida Power & Light Co. employees have a place to work and sleep during a storm, thanks to ratepayers. The Juno Beach-based electric utility opened its $6 million, Category 5-rated storm center in Jupiter on Wednesday, one of 12 throughout the state geared toward housing employees, and even some...

The Atlantic hurricane season officially ended a week ago, but already the predictions for next season are starting to emerge. And like dark clouds on the distant horizon, they are not reassuring. The 2018 season will be another above average one, according to a forecast issued Thursday by Tropical...

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Employment levels in Florida recovered in October, the state said Friday, following September’s Hurricane Irma, which pummeled that month’s payroll count. “Getting a report that’s very normal is a good sign. The South Florida economy is bouncing back and that’s exactly what we want to see, “ said...

Thousands of people converged on two of South Florida’s sports sites for the final day of sign-ups for Hurricane Irma food stamps. Sign-ups for the Food for Florida program run through 7 p.m. at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens and the BB&T Center in Sunrise. More than 42,000 families have registered...

When the king tides start coming in Thursday, coastal communities might start seeing the worst of the day’s flooding during morning rush hour. King tides are caused by a combination of gravitational forces caused by the moon and earth. Areas near the Intracoastal Waterway could be affected, “and...

Weeks before it happened, the federal government anticipated Florida’s disorganized effort to give out emergency food assistance after Hurricane Irma. The feds expressed concern that Florida was not prepared to handle the expected crowds, according to records obtained by the South Florida Sun Sentinel....

Some Floridians may not obey evacuation orders the next time a storm blows through the state. About a third of Floridians left their homes and many said they regretted doing so, according to a new Mason-Dixon poll, conducted Oct. 17 to 19. Some 28 percent said they would not evacuate in the next...

It appears the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season couldn’t head into its final month without spawning Tropical Storm Philippe which ruined much of South Florida’s weather weekend. The payoff is a new week starting out with much cooler temperatures and nicer weather overall. Philippe dissipated Sunday...

At this time of year, when a storm forms, it’s more likely to hit us. That’s because October storms are more likely to form in the western Caribbean Sea, where they tend to travel north over or near western Cuba and then across southern Florida. That’s what Hurricane Wilma did in 2005 — exactly...

Key West's iconic yellow, black and red buoy is back in business and brighter than ever. On Monday, Key West Mayor Craig Cates said Key West’s Southernmost Point marker — which was damaged last month by Hurricane Irma — is freshly plastered, painted and ready for pictures. Original artist Danny...

A weather disturbance forming in the Western Caribbean has a 10 percent chance of developing into a tropical cyclone over the next two days and a better chance of developing during the next five days, according to the latest update from the National Hurricane Center. On Tuesday, the elongated system...

Federal wildlife officials say Hurricane Irma didn't wipe out a herd of tiny, endangered deer found only in the Florida Keys. According to a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service survey released late last week, 949 Key deer survived the hurricane's 130-mph winds and 10 feet of storm surge. Irma made landfall...

Hurricane Irma sent Florida payrolls spiraling downward by 127,400 jobs in September, which was one factor leading to $7.5 billion in economic losses across South Florida, a local economist says. Irma had a “short-term impact” on payroll and economic losses, said J. Antonio Villamil, founder of...

Near the end of a long hurricane season that has included destructive blows from Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria, one more powerful storm has appeared on the horizon. Surprisingly, however, Post-Tropical Cyclone Ophelia is not aiming for the hard-hit U.S. or the Caribbean, but rather for Ireland....

After people fleeing Hurricane Irma clogged Florida’s highways, the state will look for ways to smooth evacuations. Gov. Rick Scott on Thursday ordered the Florida Department of Transportation to examine ways to eliminate bottlenecks on the road. He singled out the interchange between Florida’s...

One of South Florida’s biggest debris-removal companies touted a price adjustment Wednesday it says could save cities millions of dollars in taxpayer money. Randy Perkins, the founder and chairman of AshBritt Environmental Inc., said his Deerfield Beach-based company won’t collect extra fees from...

South Floridians who lost food, income or property during Hurricane Irma may be eligible for special cards worth hundreds of dollars to cover their losses. A federal-aid program kicked off Wednesday, distributing cards that can be redeemed for food at most grocery stores. There are seven locations...

Tropical Storm Ophelia is expected to strengthen to a hurricane as it spins far out over the Atlantic. The storm's maximum sustained winds early Tuesday are near 50 mph. The National Hurricane Center says Ophelia is expected to become a hurricane by Wednesday. The storm is more than 2,000 miles...

Florida researchers may be closer to figuring out the mysterious origin of an old canoe that surfaced after Hurricane Irma. Using a technique known as radiocarbon dating, archaeologists recently determined the wood used to create the vessel could date to the 1600s. Did a Native American long ago...

Hurricane Nate raced swiftly over the central Gulf of Mexico on Saturday, gaining added strength as forecasters said it would smash into the U.S. Gulf Coast in coming nighttime hours. Louisiana's governor urged his state's residents to take Nate seriously even before New Orleans and much of his...

Some international intrigue, Soviet-style with a Cuban twist, has kicked up along the shores of South Florida. A 1,200-pound Soviet buoy that surfaced off Dania Beach looks like it belongs in a James Bond movie. “Гидрометслужба СССР” — which the Library of Congress says is Russian for Hydrometrical...

South Florida still has a lot of tree and other debris littering the region’s landscapes from Hurricane Irma’s destruction three weeks ago. CareerSource Broward is looking to hire the unemployed for more than 180 “disaster relief” jobs including debris cleanup. Pay ranges from $10 to $20 an hour,...

A smattering of cloudy weather near the northwestern Caribbean Sea has a small chance of becoming this hurricane season’s next tropical depression, storm or hurricane, forecasters say. And if it forms, it’s expected to head north into the southern Gulf of Mexico — which would bring it relatively...

Florida’s Department of Economic Opportunity has again extended the deadline to apply for disaster unemployment assistance. The new deadline is Nov. 14. The previous deadline was Oct. 31. Workers and the self-employed who lost income due to Hurricane Irma's damage in Florida can apply for disaster...

The Florida Keys have reopened to visitors three weeks after Hurricane Irma's assault on the island chain. Local officials designated Sunday for the official return of tourists based on rapid utilities restoration and the need to resume the Keys' tourism-based economy. Tourism-related jobs account...

Piles of debris continue to fill South Florida’s landscape as cities trying to clean up the mess from Hurricane Irma struggle to get haulers — who are finding they can get paid better elsewhere. Cities have been told they have to pay more than their contracted rates if they hope to get better service;...

Business owners who file insurance claims for income lost during Hurricane Irma might be in for a surprise. “A lot of people thought they had coverage,” said Jeff Grady, CEO of the Florida Association of Insurance Agents. “But they didn’t read their policies or have it explained to them.” Of 644,908...

The Trump administration will waive federal restrictions on foreign ships' transportation of cargo to hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said on Twitter Thursday that President Donald Trump has "authorized the Jones Act be waived for Puerto Rico." She...

Wet weather is expected to continue for several days across South Florida. A broad area of low pressure and stormy weather extends from the northwestern Caribbean to the South Florida peninsula. Conditions for development into a tropical depression or potentially a tropical storm are favorable...

Architect Kobi Karp has a vision for affordable housing in the Florida Keys: residences set at coconut-tree height to keep them dry, atop concrete columns holding them in place. Key West clients sought out his designs before Hurricane Irma struck the island chain this month, and he thinks the two...

Doctors in South Florida hospital emergency rooms say they’re only now starting to slowly return to normal after being flooded with patients with Hurricane Irma-related injuries. In past hurricanes, “we saw a lot of chainsaw accidents, but this time around it’s a different kind of beast” because...

Florida Keys fishermen are getting help from the air to locate lobster traps lost during Hurricane Irma. Florida Sea Grant is sending two aircraft with GPS-capable cameras over the island chain to document the locations of lobster trap clusters in the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. Florida...